The present invention relates to a traffic control system, and more particularly to a traffic control system for controlling traffic on roads.
As described, for example, in "Traffic Lights Control Technique" at page 62-80 compiled by the corporate Traffic Engineering Study Group or "Practical Traffic Engineering Series 8, Management and Operation of Traffics on Roads" at pp. 125 to 135, operation parameters of traffic lights have been controlled heretofore so as to maximize the traffic of motor vehicles passing through each main intersection or through a set of main intersections, by using the results of traffic survey or traffic information measured by vehicle detectors. Namely, operation parameters of traffic lights have been controlled by using information of only measured traffic, road occupancy factors, length of congested roads, the number of vehicles and the like.
Conventional bypath road guidance display devices such as LEDs provide information of only a bypath road, when information of traffic accidents or congestion on roads is given from some sources and it is judged that it is impossible, or it takes a lot of time, to pass through such congested roads. In this case, information of only a bypath road has been provided independently of how the traffic of the bypath road is.
In conventional parking systems using parking meters, when a vehicle parks in a parking space, it is locked and the timer of a parking meter starts operating. A parking toll calculated from a predetermined time charge is displayed on a display such as an LED or LCD. The lock of the vehicle is released after the toll is paid to the parking meter, and the vehicle leaves the parking space. However, conventional parking systems operate without considering the traffic of nearby roads.
In conventional traffic simulation, the road traffic has been simulated using actually measured traffic at some points on roads, vehicle speeds, traffic signal information, and road capacities obtained from a road map.
As described above, with conventional traffic control, only traffic of motor vehicles passing through a main intersection is controlled for efficiency purposes. Conventional traffic control does not consider therefore to reduce the number of motor vehicles concentrating on such a main intersection. It has been impossible to deal with excessive concentration of motor vehicles on a particular main intersection, resulting in road congestion.
With conventional traffic control, the dynamically changing traffic is measured by vehicle detectors, on the assumption that the physical capacities of roads will not change. Therefore, reduction of traffic caused by traffic accidents or illegal parking on roads cannot be recognized. The conventional traffic control assuming the constant road physical capacities does not prevent road congestion.
A conventional bypath road guidance display does not consider the traffic of a bypath road. Therefore, if motor vehicles are concentrated on a bypath road, congestion on this bypath road occurs, taking a longer time in passing through the bypath road than passing through the original road.
With a conventional parking system, motor vehicles are allowed to park so long as there is an available parking space, independently of the traffic conditions of nearby roads. Therefore, vehicles going to parking areas during rush hours in the morning or evening may cause road congestion, or in some cases vehicles cannot park even at midnight when roads are no longer congested. Whether a vehicle can park or not can be known only after it reaches a parking area and stops thereat, generating unnecessary traffic.
A conventional traffic simulator does not consider the capacity of parking area facilities along a road the traffic of which is measured at its inlet and outlet points, and the traffic of vehicles going into or coming from another branch road connected to the road at an intermediate point. Therefore, a precise traffic simulation is not possible.